Simon Grayson Delighted For Jordan Hugill

Manager Simon Grayson felt the script was written for striker Jordan Hugill, who scored the late equaliser at Deepdale against Ipswich Town.

The forward, the subject of two failed bids by the Tractor Boys for his services, controlled well and drilled home to give his side a point with just 90 seconds left on the clock and his manager was very complimentary of the No.25 when he spoke to PNE PlayerHD after the game.

“The script was written for Jordan,” said the gaffer. “I thought he played very well. I spoke to him before the game, telling him not to try doing anything he hadn’t already been doing over the last few months, keep doing the basics right and don’t let any of the speculation affect him.

“I am delighted for him; I thought he held up the ball well, his link up play was good, he gave their back line a tough time and got his just rewards with the goal.

“It is probably not as late as one or two we have conceded in the last few weeks, but it just shows you what the lads are about. They keep going, they really dig deep at times.

“We asked more questions of them in the second half and we got the bodies up there.

“I thought they defended very well and defended the 18 yard box very well; their keeper made saves and that’s what you expect of a Mick McCarthy team; they were organised, disciplined and hard-working – got their noses in front with a good goal and tried to make it difficult for us.”

“We kept going. We showed a lot of spirit. Sometimes you have to do whatever is required to get something out of the game. When you look at the number of attacking players we had on the pitch in the last 15 or 20 minutes of the game, you could see we were trying to do our utmost to get something out of the game.

“Sometimes you think it is just not going to be your day with the blocks, the saves and missed opportunities, but we kept going and got the rewards and it says something about the group that we have got something out of a game, where it looked like they might not.”

And the PNE manager also felt there was another reason behind his side’s resilience and determination not to lose a game – the fans.

“I thought the crowd were very good and stayed with us,” he continued. “It was never going to be easy on a cold, wet afternoon and where, no disrespect to the opposition, the fixture wasn’t anything like what we have had over the past few weeks with Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa, but we knew they had to play a part and the supporters were key to getting a result today.

“They stayed with the team, didn’t get anxious or disappointed and we tried to get the points and the supporters appreciated what we were trying to do.”